A vaginal speculum is used in gynaecology for various procedures including opening of the vaginal cavity for inspection of the uterine cervix and to carry out procedures such as a vaginal examination to obtain swabs and scrapings for a papanicolaou stain test, and to do a colposcopy.
A type of vaginal speculum commonly in use comprises a pair of broad dilator blades which are pivoted together and movable apart when inserted into the vaginal cavity to cause the vagina to dilate.
While such a vaginal speculum performs satisfactorily in many situations, it does have some disadvantages. One disadvantage is that each of the dilator blades presents a peripheral edge which can cause discomfort during insertion. A further disadvantage is that because of their broad nature the blades can obscure a significant part of the vaginal walls thereby obscuring matters of concern such as vaginal warts. A still further disadvantage is that the vaginal walls can urge the dilator blades together which can cause the blades to grip the cervix and thereby cause pain on removal of the speculum. A still further disadvantage is that the blades can pinch the vaginal wall when pivoted together prior to withdrawal of the speculum.
The present invention seeks to provide an apparatus for dilating a body cavity and in particular to provide a vaginal speculum which overcomes at least some of the disadvantages of the conventional speculum referred to above, or at least provides a useful alternative to such a speculum.